9
Coursework
Quality is composed of temperament (nature),
character (moral), or the disposition (outlook) of someone or something: degree of goodness in a state of life; of what sort is it recommended-— nobility, fine, excellence? That which is unblemished, refined, or pure of the highest good; truth as the essence of its character. Quality is not wishy-washy; which means it is neither feeble nor poor in form and manner.
Value assessment
Quantity
Amount, relative greatness or extent; how much; infinity, large number, boundlessness, endlessness, massive, immensity, infinitesimal, or that which cannot be accounted because of its little size.
9 Quantity, Quality
Unique refers to the only one of its kind; implying that only that kind exists. Unique may uniquely describe things that are admirable because they are very unusual and special. However, if two things are almost alike, they are virtually the same, which is tantamount (equivalent) to saying that they are identical as far as essential qualities or facts are concerned, or if something is virtual, it is so nearly true that for most purposes it can be regarded as true. If, on the other hand, two things are not identical, they differ. Where there is a huge disparity between two things, they are unequal in terms of rank and status; for example, bland (mild) and pungent (sharp or biting) differ widely.
People with fervent (intense) desire for reading are likely to use profuse combination of vocabulary to express their views. Most often, they become prolific authors and normally have luxuriant (lush) thoughts; such authors enjoy the luxury of massive writing desks and commodious (spacious) editing studios that are replete (filled) with volumes of beautiful works of divers (several) authors.
The following interesting set of words concerns with amount. Untold (incalculable) and myriad (innumerable, countless) are words which mean very large quantity; dearth (great scarcity) and devoid (empty) are their near-opposites. Whereas extraneous means unnecessary or irrelevant, superfluous means unnecessary (as in excessive or surplus).
Watch how closely these words are related and use them appropriately, since their sporadic occurrence in writing and verbal conversation are inevitable.
The following interesting pair is also closely related—rudiment (beginning or origin) and vestige (trace or end). Linguists accept using the two words interchangeably in biological contexts, but one can offer a slight variation in general usage; in general usage, a learner of English language, for example, will first learn the rudiments of English words, but an elderly person who one time was fluent, and probably is now losing the memory may recall the vestiges of the language.
unique, virtual, tantamount, disparity, bland, pungent, fervent, profuse, prolific, luxuriant, commodious, replete, divers, untold, myriad, superfluous, extraneous, sporadic, rudiment, vestige, dearth, devoid
unique
[u.nek’] Being the only one of a kind, unequaled, or different from all others.
Mandela is a unique politician; he is peerless.
[Latin unus, one.] Since unique means the only one of its kind, many object to qualifying it by more, most or very. Recent books on usage permit degrees of uniqueness, citing such authorities as the Danish linguist Otto Jespersen, the great grammarian, who wrote, “The more unique his nature, the more peculiarly his own will be the coloring of his language.” Others also say “colloquial usage of more and most as modifiers of equal, unique, [or] perfect is so common that an absolute prohibition on such use is impossible”. Hence “Toad Hall,” said the toad proudly, “is an eligible self-contained gentlemen’s residence, very unique.” Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows
They were unique in their presentation because it conformed to those who were adjudged best in last year’s presentation. 2_______The society has a unique system of assessing its members. 1______ Dawson’s unique understanding of the current social clashes gives us hope that the government will act quickly. 5_______ Tocqueville wrote unique text on the unique democracy of America. 9______The work was equally unique; one could always show that it is similar to the others.
3______Amartya’s unique approach to poverty reduction earned him the Nobel Award. 7______She is a phenomenal actor who plays her part uniquely. 8_______The discussion was unique; but it was not different in content. 6______
Unique: 1 excellent 2 joined together 3 usual 4 unlike any other 4________
virtual
[ver’hu.el] Being so in effect but not in name or actual fact.
Dogs are loyal and intimate friends to humans; dogs are virtual humans.
Virtual has the sense of almost, as good as, or practically.
Let them live virtual marriage life; the law will catch up with them. 8_______Linda virtually undermines everybody; that explains why she does not have a friend. 3_______The vast grassland was virtual for cultivation. 2_______In public they were virtually a couple, but they were enemies at home. 5_____The murder was virtual and offended all Christians in the town. 7_______ The ruler is a virtual tyrant, so be careful when you are offering him political advice. 4_______She was virtual for sixteen years in good marriage. 6_______The monarchy makes decision for the State, because the monarchy is virtually the Government of the country. 9_______
Virtual: 1 state of celibate 2 open space 3 practically identical 4 killing for spiritual reasons 1_____
Unique Virtual 101
9
9 quanti ty , Qual itytantamount
[tan’te.mount] Equivalent, or having equal force, value, or effect.
For a dictator, even a genuine advice or caution is tantamount to challenging his authority.
Tantamount commonly refers to acts, statements, and situations, not to material things. It is usually followed by to.
The number of girls was considered tantamount to the number of boys. 1_______Her refusal to respond to the allegation was tantamount to acquiescence of the charges. 2________The manner in which her father nodded to your greeting was tantamount to being accepted as a son-in-law. 7______ She resolved to doing things which were tantamount to his aspirations. 4_______Retorting while older people spoke was tantamount to social dishonor in most African traditions. 9________Because he could not provide an alibi, we concluded that his presence at the crime scene was tantamount to committing the heinous crime. 6________The silence in the room was tantamount to an announcement of his father’s death. 5_______The tantamount of the hill was pointed. 3______
Tantamount: 1 acceptance 2 peak 3 equivalent 4 hill top 8_______
disparity
[dis.par’e.ti] Inequality, or a difference in age, rank, condition, quality, or kind.
The disparity in their salaries is disincentive to productivity.
[Latin dis-, not, and par, equal.] Disparity may be followed by in or between.
There is disparity between Mansah’s understanding of the problem and hers. 3_______The economic policy of the government is likely to bring disparity in incomes of households. 7_______There was disparity of moments when we realized that the fighter had lost hope. 4_______She took disparity money to deal with inequalities in the shares. 2_______If you are able to point out disparities in the works, I will leave you alone. 6_______The disparity between his report and the one presented by his manager showed that they did not coordinate the research well. 8_______The position of Kwesi was disparitly flawed. 9_______Because of his mother’s illness she was in a state of disparity. 1_______
bland
[bland] Smooth, mild, soothing, or not irritating.
She was a formidable soldier, seemingly tough, and wicked but she displayed a bland posture.
Bland occasionally carries the connotation of dull, flat, or uninteresting.
The chemical was bland; therefore, it was suitable to be used at the restaurant. 6_______Whilst driving he forgot to watch his bland spot. 4_______You are bland and excited about what has occurred to your sister. 1________The food you prepared for the visitors was bland and insipid. 3______By character he was so bland that every little thing could make him hyper-sensitive and irritating. 7_______Inside the apartment was bland but strangely cozy. 5 _______The herbalist who provided the bland concoction admonished that Maria should drink it at dawn only. 2_______We expected sharp fetid odor at the sordid crime scene, but no! it was strangely bland and inviting. 9_______
Bland: 1 areas unseen from a driving mirror 2 easily angered 3 smooth or mild
4 vacant or empty 8_______
pungent
[pun’jent] Sharply penetrating, or keen and stimulating.
The writer lampooned his critics with such pungent ridicule.
[Latin pungere, to prick, puncture.] When it refers to tastes or odors, pungent means, sharp, biting, or acrid; when it refers to language or criticism, it means pointed, stimulating, or caustic.
The pungent was very competitive. 2_____He provided a pungent and invigorating analysis of the current situation in Libya. 1_______In her pungent criticisms of Miller’s reprehensible behavior, we all realize that she was not as bland as we thought. 7_______The food she prepared for us was pungent but delicious. 4_______You may close the pungent that leads to the hall. 6________The helicopter had a pungent wings to fly higher altitudes. 9_______The flagrances were too hot and pungent to be given to one’s lover. 8______The critics adore her novel because it was instructive, insightful, and pungent; you would want to read it. 5________
Pungent: 1 beauty contest 2 a big door dividing a corridor 3 sharply penetrating
4 propellers 3_______ Bland Pungent 103
9
9 quanti ty , Qual ityfervent
[fėr’vent] Very earnest, intense, ardent, or burning.
They are fervent crusaders of catholic faith
[Latin fervens, boiling, glowing.] Fervent and fervid have almost the same meanings, but fervent suggests steady and continuous warmth of feeling, whereas fervid suggests a spontaneous and feverish outburst of such feeling.
Kingston had a fervent admiration for the student who opposed his argument. 3______The fervent winter weather made him sick. 1_______His fervent appeal of asking Americans to embrace the abolishing of racial hatred made him a hero. 5_ ______He is a fervent person who never gives earnest and ardent response to questions. 6_______He has the fervent wish to teach the children. 4_______The fervid and intense acceptance of the proposal to marry her appeared to be nothing but infatuation. 2________He did everything in his fervent because he was avaricious. 8________The old lady’s fervent desire was to see her last son married before her death. 7______
Fervent: 1 feverish 2 respected 3 earnest feeling 4 selfish 9_______
profuse
[pre.fus] Generous or abundant, sometimes to the point of excess.
We were able to tell that she was grateful just by how profuse she was in thanking the surgeon.
[Latin profusus, poured forth.]
Her profuse elaboration of the theory she developed convinced us that she had thought through it well. 4______The student had been profused with scholarships from many colleges for his exemplary achievements. 9_______The monk profused generous support for the prolific writer. 3_______The mathematics lecturer Mrs. Kraus offered profuse explanation of her concepts in mathematics. 7_______The farmers perspired profusely because it was hot and humid. 6______Mr. Langdon explained that when he got there his uncle was bleeding profusely. 8_______The 14th Century academia profused intelligence into society; accordingly, the people became industrialists and created huge wealth. 2_______The salesman apologized profusely. 5_______
prolific
[pre.lif’ik] Producing abundantly plentiful or large quantities, fertile, or creative.
The prolific African Writer Chinua Achebe is a Nigerian.
[Latin proles, offspring, and –fic, making.] Prolific refers to producing abundantly: either real offspring (the prolific cat) or imaginative works (her prolific mind).
Prolific seeds are barren and can only be found in the wild. 8________The pain in the prolific joint prevented the runner from participating in the competition. 1________Not only did she have profuse character of love, she also possessed prolific mind. 3_______The seeds were from the wilds, yet their offspring produced prolifically. 5_______The queen termite is a prolific insect; it is able to produce millions of eggs in a short period. 2________Pele, the legend Brazilian footballer, was a prolific goal scorer. 6________Food production in Ghana is not based on modern technology; the farmers rely on the prolific soils of the tropical rain forest. 9_______The politician was prolific, so he gave monies to his supporters. 7_______
Prolific: 1 wealthy 2 producing plentifully 3 bones joined at the waist 4 fruit gatherers 4_______
luxuriant
[lug.zhür’i ent] Thick, richly abundant, or lush; or excessively elaborate or ornamented.
The column of luxuriant vegetation was a sign of river presence on the desert.
Do not confuse luxuriant with luxurious, conducive to ease, comfort and pleasure. A luxurious home may be screened from the street by luxuriant foliage. The owners may then luxuriate, take delight, in their comfort and privacy.
This cannot be the original painting of Mona Lisa, because this one lacks the original luxuriant colors. 4________We are lucky because the almighty God has blessed us with the luxuriant we expect. 8________ Mr. Helpign discussed the book in a profuse manner; it was obvious he had luxuriant understanding of the text. 2______Strangely, the soil produced luxuriant foliage though there were no rains. 6________The luxuriant undergrowth is always protected by the canopy formed by the tall tropical trees. 1_______The meadow is full of luxuriant grass which is conducive for cattle grazing. 7________Our parliament consists of luxuriant lawyers who understand legislative instruments. 5_______Eriksen has a luxuriant device that helps him coordinate his activities in the house. 3________
Luxuriant: 1 material needs 2 abundant or elaborate 3 robot 4 rich in thinking 9_________
Prolific Luxuriant 105
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9 quanti ty , Qual itycommodious
[ke.mō’di.es] Spacious or roomy.
His automobile looks small, but it is commodious inside and able to carry a lot of office supplies Remember that a commodious house can accommodate many guests.
She has a commodious room to share with her classmates during this weekend homecoming. 8________She is generous and has commodious personality that allows her to accept criticisms. 7________The Captain was commodious so he was likeable. 1_______My hand luggage was packed in a commodious sack that could carry many items. 5________The restaurant at the corner street is so commodious that it can seat five hundred guests. 2________I urge you to travel with the M-200 aircraft, because it is very commodious. 4________The Tallensis in Northern Ghana are commodious group of people who originated from the south. 3_______She has a commodious office that we can use for the conference. 9________
Commodious: 1 patient 2 roomy 3 socially peaceful 4 friendly 6_______
replete
[ri.plēt’] Full to the uttermost, stuffed, abundantly supplied, or well stocked.
The book she brought to me is replete with colorful designs.
[Latin repletus, filled to overflowing, from re-, again, and plere, to fill.] The same root appears in deplete, to empty, to exhaust.
The library of the former President is replete with diverse volumes of books on governance. 8_______Kingston was given replete by the police. 6______He has read widely; no wonder he is replete with knowledge of other economies. 4_______Mrs. Dennings kitchen is replete with all kinds of cooking apparatus. 5_______The armory is replete with modern military hardware, and the stock makes them hungry for war. 9_______The library was replete with books so we did not get any to read. 2_____Immediately after he recovered from illness, his home was replete with variety of food items. 1______The producer allowed her to replete the studio with her programme again. 7_______
divers
[dī’verz] Several or various.
That small bird with divers colors is originally for the Amazon forest.
Divers, a literary word, is seldom used in conversation. In the Bible the coat that started the trouble between Joseph and his brother is referred to in one translation as “a coat of divers colors”. Do not confuse divers with diverse—different or extremely unlike.
When we started the project there was a pool of divers knowledge to apply. 2_______Kofi said one thing and his brother said another approving view; therefore, they undoubtedly had similar divers opinion on the issue. 8_______The new mobile phone offers divers options of utilization. 5_______ We can set up divers schemes to support the existing poverty intervention program. 7_______ The crooks diversed the supplies to another buyer. 9_______Hunting in a forest with luxuriant foliage is an opportunity to catch divers game. 6_______All the students have diverse interpretation of the professor’s statement. 4_______The King of the tribe had divers reasons to halt the development project. 1_______
Divers: 1 different view 2 changed course 3 country 4 several 3_________
untold
[un.tōid] Incalculable; too numerous or too great to be counted or measured.
An untold number of sympathizers visited him at the hospital.
An old meaning of tell is to count, as in bank teller or to tell one’s beads. Hence, something untold is uncounted or uncountable. In a sentence like a “The rest of the story remained untold,” it simply means not told, not revealed; it may also have a meaning that emphasizes how bad or unpleasant something is.
The fishing trawler bumped into untold school of sardines on the high seas. 9_______The catastrophe brought untold hardship on many households. 5______The grenade was untold for many years in the sand. 4_______When it was dark, untold number of nocturnal beasts came out from the forest. 3_______He was a very good person with untold character. 1_______Because he had access to many toys in his childhood, he grew up with untold skills and capabilities of using many electronic devices. 8_______In my dream I saw a man who was too untold to push away. 2______The announcement of Dufie mother’s death filled Dufie with untold sorrow. 6_______
Untold: 1 too heavy 2 failed to explode 3 unmanageable 4 very numerous 7________
Divers Untold 107
9
9 quanti ty , Qual itymyriad
[mi’i.ed] Innumerable, countless, or composed of a large number.
Specializing in international relations offers myriad career opportunities.
[Greek myrias, ten thousand.] Sometimes myriad means literally ten thousand, especially in translation of Greek and Latin texts, but more often it means any very large number. One may speak of myriad things, a myriad of things, or myriads of things.
The seminar brought a myriad of possibilities of doing things with ICT. 7_______The company has a programme that brings myriad opportunities. 5______The myriad meadow offered hope to the farmers. 4______Her mind was occupied with myriads of inconceivable images. 6________ Poseidon the goddess of love blocked the way of Ulysses with myriad. 9______Endless offers will present myriad choices to you, but be cautious and select only one. 1______Her achievement in sports brought a myriad of divers groups of people in her life, but many were leeches. 8______ Myriads of dreams made her shiver and brought fervid thoughts about the ghost. 2_______
Myriad: 1 mountain 2 large farm land 3 peaceful 4 innumerable 3_________
superfluous
[su.pėrflü.es] Unnecessary, overflowing, or excessive.
The speech contained superfluous attacks on his critics.
[Latin super, over, and fluere, to flow.] The same root appears in fluid, and influence.
The superfluous pageant was very critical in the exposure drive of the tourist industry in West Africa. 8_______The project manager argued that spending thirty days to organize phase one would be superfluous use of the project’s time. 4______Your brief on the murder trial was excellent; any attempt to say a word in addition would be considered superfluous. 1______The planning officer cautioned against the superfluous spending contained in the budget being sent to Parliament. 7______ With a sober reflection on his behavior towards his wife, Mr. Mensah realized that some of his actions were superfluous. 3_____Socrates was a superfluous thinker whose thoughts formed democratic principles for Western societies. 6_____River Ogun is superfluous and tempestuous. 2_______Lady Marcos had superfluity of wealth, so it was strange she continued to acquire more wealth. 5______
Superfluous: 1 scornful 2 excessive or unnecessary 3 political philosopher 4
extraneous
[eks.trā’ni.es] Unnecessary, irrelevant, or not pertinent; or external in origin.
The draft contained divers extraneous texts that must be removed.
[Latin extraneus, from the outside, foreign, strange.] The same root appears in strange. His viewpoint in this discussion is extraneous and has no bearing on the case. 2_______The purifier is able to extract extraneous substances from water. 6_______During the presentation, I urge you to